Liquid-fuel burner



A. 0. VESTINE.

LIQUID FUEL BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI. I919.

1,397,389. Patented NOV. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I Fig. 1.

II 3819 no 9 A2 3a u as s 6 30 a9 2.7 o I Inventor. Andrew 0. Veshne A. O. VESTINE.

LIQUID FUEL BURNER. APPLICATION FILED MAYl. 1919.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- lnvenior I Andrew 0. Veshne tr stares ANDREW O. VESTINE, 0F VTA'IERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQIR T0 L. C. CHASE 82; COMPAIQ'Y, 0F BOSTON, MASSAGHUSETTS, A FIRM.

LIQUID-FUEL BURNER.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Katgnted Nov. 15, 1921.,

Application filed May 1, 1919. Serial no. 293,905. i

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, ANDREW 0. Vnsrmn, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vatertown, county of Middlesex, State of hlassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Liquid-Fuel Burners, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specifica.

tion, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in an extinguishing device for liquid fuel burners, such as lamps or heaters in which a flame is maintained upon the upper end of a suitable wick, and the object thereof is to provide means which will act with certainty to extinguish the flame if the device is upset or unduly tilted in any direction.

In certain devices of this character spring actuated means have been provided for depressing the wick to inoperative position when the device is tilted, and one of the objects of the invention is tocprovide a means by which the spring actuated depressing means may be adjusted to act upon the wick with such force as may be required to insure the proper operation of the extinguishing means. V i

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved locking means for the wick moving means which will release the wick moving means with certainty when the device is tilted unduly in any direction.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing a compound locking device which will permit a limited tilting movement before releasing, andthereby prevent premature extinguishing of the flame.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a novel means for preventing the locking means from releasing when the device is raised by the carrying handle.

Other objects and features of. the invention more fully appear from the following description and accompanying. drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the drawings, V

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a liquid fuel burning device embodying a preferred form of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the locking device and the means for preventing it from releasing when the liquid fuel burning de vice is raised by its handle,

Fig. 3 is a detail view partly in section of the locking pawl, the standard by which it is supported anda portion of the frame on which the standard is mounted,

Fig. 4 is. a detail view partly in section showing the locking device, the spring for actuating the wick depressing mechanism, anda means for adjusting the tension upon the spring. 7

The preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings as applied to a portable lamp or heater which comprises a frame 1 preferably of annular form supported upon legs 2 and having tubular uprights 3 which support a top 1 Ar reservoir 5 which is mounted in l the annular frame 1 is provided with an upwardly extending top portion 6 which merges into a screw threaded annular flange 7 which supports the burner.

The burner comprises an outer cylindrical casing 8 preferably having about midway of its height a horizontal annular extensiont) provided with a marginal flange 10*which serves to support a suitable chimney 11. The casing 8 also has an inner cylindrical wick guiding member 12 which conveniently be formed integral with the outer casing member 8 andplaced a suilicient dis-- tance from it to form an annular well 13 which will catch any overflow or dripping from the wick. The burner is also provided with'a cylindrical inner wick guiding member 14 whichis supported upon asuitable spider 15 mounted upon a vertical central rod 16, the upper ends of the members 12, 14: being flush with each other and concentric so that the wick when raised may be caused to project sufficiently above them to deliver the required amount of fuel to the flame. A central cap portion 17 is secured to the upper end of the rod 16 and extends slightly beyond the mouth of the outer casing 8 and lies a short distance above it leaving a place for the flame. A bell shaped flame spreading member 18 is secured to and forms a part of memberl'? and has a central cylindrical eirtensionli) which projects down within the circumference of the. inner wick guiding member 14. The tubue lar portion 19 of the flame spreading device desirably is provided; with a number of apertures 20 to permit a free flow of the air from the central portion of the burner to the flame. An extinguishingplate preferably is 21- which overlies the inner and outer :wick

- guiding members, and a vertical portion 22 wick and at the sametime closing the aper-' which fits loosely, within the inner wick guldlng member and serves as a guide, and.

a horizontal bottom portion 23 havin a central aperture 24 to permit the free iassage of the air.

A wick 25 is slidably mounted betweenthe outer guiding member 12 and inner guiding member 14 and desirably is also held by a thin wick carrier 26, which is of tubularform and desirably is provided with a roughened surface to engage firmly the fabric of the wick. This wick carrier preferably is provided with a series of'pairs of apertures 27 which are adapted to be en'- gaged bytoothed wheels 28 fixedly secured upon a shaft 29 which is journaled in a sleeve 30 supported upon a boss 31 extending upwardly from the top portion of the receptacle. The rotation of said shaft 29 by hand or otherwise serves to raise or lower the wick in the usual manner; In order to provide for extinguishinga flame, if the device is unduly tilted or upset, I have provided a novel means for automatically depressing. the

ture through which the vaporized fuel is supplied to the flame. V p

In the construction disclosed herein the shaft 29 is provided with a ratchet 32 which is engaged by a locking dog 33. A helical spring 34, which is anchored at one end in the ratchet '32,'is coiled about the shaft 29 and at its opposite end anchored inia collar or clutch member 35 which is rotatablymounted upon the shaft and has alateral projection or lug 36 which engages a complementary recess 37 in the boss 31. The spring 34 is so'disposed asnormally to'tend to rotate the shaft 29 in a direction which will cause the toothed wheels 28 to depress the wick. The end of the shaft 29 desirably is provided with a milled knob 38 by which it may be rotated in the opposite direction against the tension ofthe spring 34 to raise and adjust the wick to operative position. In the normal operation of the device the wick will be raised until its upper end projects slightly above the top of the wick guidinr; members 12, 14 and when a match is ap plied to the wick an annular flame will be produced aroundthe projecting outerside of the wick, for the top of the wick will be covered by the extinguishing device 21. VVhen' the dog 33 is released, asfor example upon undue tilting ofthe device, the spring- In the construction of a device of this character it is found that different mechanlsms require springs of different tension,

and also that springs which are furnished in large quantities vary considerably in tensile and torsional strength. By. provldlng an adjustable clutch member 35 any desirable spring may be used and a proper adjustment given it'to produce the required action disengagement. In the preferred mechanism disclosed herein the locking dog 33 is provided with a stem 39 which is slidably mounted in the cylindrical'upper end of a standard 40, which standard itself is slidably mounted in a sleeve 41 secured to a boss or bracket 42 on the annular frame 1. A spring 43surrounding a lower diminished portion 44 of the stem 39. normally forces the dog upwardly a short distance beyond'the upper end of the standard 40. The upward movement of the dog may be limited by a pin 45 extending through said standard and also through a recess 46 in thereduced portion 44 of the stem 39. The standard 4.0 is provided with a fixed collar 47 and a helical spring 48,'which encircles the standard 40, is compressively held between the collar 47 and the lower end of the sleeve '41 in which the standard is slidably mounted. The spring '48 tends normally to depress the standard relatively to the frame 1, but when the device is rested upon the floor the standard is so positioned with respect to the bot tom of the legs 2 that the spring 48 will beof this construction any dangerous tilting movement will permit the spring 48 to force the standard 40 downwardly sufficient to release the locking dog 33 from the ratchet 32 and thereby enable thewick moving device automatically to extinguish the flame.

In certain instances it is desirable to move the liquid fuel burning device from one place to another without extinguishing it. I have accordingly providedmeans for preventing the automatic action of the wick moving device when the fuel burner is lifted by a handle provided for that-purpose.

The handle desirably comprises a bail 51, the ends of which are secured in socket members 52, 58 at the ends of rods which extend downwardly through the tubular uprights 3. One of these supporting rods 54 is slidably mounted in its inclosing tube 3 and has at its lower end a bracket 55 which has a downwardly and laterally extending finger 56, the end of which underlies the pin 45, which limits the movement of the dog 33. When, therefore, the liquid fuel burner is raised by the handle 51 the rod 54 will be raised until the end of the finger 56 engages the under side of the pin 45. This will prevent any movement of the standard 40 and consequently will hold the dog 33 in engagement with the ratchet 82. When the weight of the fuel oil burner is entirely removed from the bail the rod 54 and the bracket 55 will be depressed by gravity until the finger 56 releases and is removed from the pin so that the releasing mechanism is again free to operate, if the fuel oil burner is unduly tilted or upset.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is of an illustrative character and that various changes in construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described comprising a reservoir, a wick, extinguishing means, including a wick moving means having means normally tending to depress said wick to inoperative position, means for raising said wick to burning position against the action of said depressing means, a spring actuated locking member for said wick moving means located externally of said reservoir and having a curved offset portion extending beneath the central portion of the device and normally held by the weight of said device in looking position, but adapted automatically to release said wick moving means, if the device is tilted beyond the predetermined amount in any di rection.

2. In a device of the class described comprising a reservoir and a wick, rotatable wick depressing means including a shaft, a clutch member rotatably mounted on said shaft, a cooperating clutch member, a ratchet fixed on said shaft, a spring having one end anchored in said ratchet and its opposits end in said rotatable clutch member, locking means engaging said ratchet, and means operable to release said ratchet upon the tilting of the device in any direction beyond the predetermined amount.

3. In a device of the class described com prising a reservoir and a wick, wick moving means comprising a rotary shaft having a ratchet fixed thereon, a spring encircling said shaft and tending normally to rotate the shaft in a direction to depress the wick, locking means comprising a slidably mounted standard adapted to rest upon the support for said device, and a spring actuated dog telescopically mounted in said standard engaging said ratchet, means for limiting the movement of said dog, a spring normally acting to depress said standard upon the raising or tilting of the device, and means for limiting the movement of said dog and said standard.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ANDREW O. VESTINE. 

